Train staff to improve or train them to leave you

This month’s article was written with the help of ATI Coach John Leslie.

One of the biggest problems facing shop owners today is the lack of skilled technicians. Everyone is talking about it, but only some are doing something about it. There are a lot of factors that go into finding and keeping the right talent. Today, let’s listen to ATI Coach John Leslie explain just one of the hot topics that keeps coming up: training.  

We all know that in the eight months it has taken for you to find a tech, you could have been well down the path of growing your own. I know that you still have to find the right candidate with the right attitude and intelligence. That can be tough, especially if you consider how many people are looking to get started on a career but just don’t have the “right training” to even get in the door. 

So, what exactly is the purpose of an employee training program? Do we throw them an employee handbook and put the signature page in the middle of it to see if they have read it or not? Too often there is no real focus or plan for what you are trying to train this person for. We show them where to put their box, where their bay is, the equipment that they'll need, etc. and then end with "Let me know if you need anything." I’m confused. What is our commitment to training? The purpose of proper employee training is to help an employee gain sufficient knowledge and skill to be efficient in his or her job and to increase their ability to make more money. It’s not about you. It’s about the birthday or Christmas that their kids will be having. If you stay focused on improving their life, yours will be just fine in the end. But… 

I have met a lot of employees who hate the thought of training. It is spending time away from your family after a long day and possibly getting a few slices of pizza. Many don’t feel that it is a productive use of their time and many times they are right. Maybe when developing a company’s training program, we don’t just send them off to technical training classes and call that “training.” 

Here’s a story about my entry into the world of automotive training and my first job. 

I had just graduated tech school at the top of my class. Watch out automotive world — here I come! My father helped me purchase my first tool box, as I was working part-time unloading trucks and going to school for the past two years. I began responding to technician ads in the local paper (this was pre-internet) and luckily, I had a response within the first day. Another tech and I were both vying for the same GS Tech position. I was chosen because I had showed initiative by completing trade school. 

The Saturday before I started, I loaded my tools and toolbox into the back seat of my sedan and drove to the shop to set up for work on Monday. It was bright and early Monday morning and the first ticket I was assigned was a fuel pump replacement on a full-size pickup. Wait. What?! Okay, so I ask how to go about removing this fuel tank and the SM gave me a few pointers. Unbeknownst to me, as I lowered the tank and tried to lift it off the jack, I didn’t consider the fuel slosh and the sheer weight of a tank three-quarters full of fuel. So, as I tried to steady the tank off of the jack...there she goes! I launched that tank clear over my head and into the parking lot. I almost lost my job over that one and there would be plenty more learning experiences to come. 

At the time I was young and blamed myself, but 25 years later as I reflect, whose fault was it really? I had told the owner my skill level and lack of true experience during the interview. Talk about on-the-job training! 

It is well known we have a qualified technician shortage in this country. Since it may be years until this problem is resolved, we must make the good technicians stick. So, how do we do that? Throw money at them? 

Create your on-boarding process 

As shop owners, we must develop a proper on-boarding and training process, an SOP if you will. The shop owner’s commitment to staff training is a significant factor in employee progression and retention. Think of it as the "Sticky Factor."

We must leverage internal and external training opportunities. By doing this we can create loyal and growing employees and develop a lifelong learner — someone who is engaged. Employee development is expensive, but it equals the shop’s growth and performance. Evolve and perform better than your competitors by keeping employees skilled and current. Analyze skill gaps, find out what an employee’s motivational factor is and encourage critical thinking. You will also have to measure an employee’s learning objectives. Everyone wants to win. You need to have a checklist of skills needed and as the new tech masters those skills, someone signs off on the checklist. Imagine the positive feedback for the new employee, as more and more skills are checked off. Very few shops do this, but the ones that do, produce a totally different product. This will increase company profit, reduce turnover and develop deeper talent succession pipelines. 

Develop Standard Operating Procedures 

Every shop operates differently based on the leadership style present. Find the best practice for your shop and make it your shop’s best practice. Leadership includes the entire shop. The problem has always been with the implementation and consistency of the shop’s training SOPs. 

The concept is actually very simple. Create and stick to the company’s mission statement, encourage interconnection between staff, develop strategic plans to realize your mission, set specific goals and timetables for success. Did I mention the mission statement? This shouldn’t be something a shop owner haphazardly writes up and sticks on the wall to collect dust for the next 10 years! Make it a living, breathing document. I know a shop owner who has just that. He asks every client he sees if the shop lived up to its mission. The input he receives is second to none and has helped him focus on what his clients expect. This in turn influences how he drills down into his employee training program. 

You can’t improve upon something if you don’t measure it. 

Remember the following items: 

• First evaluate your employees’ skill sets 
• Measure your employees’ effectiveness 
• Layer your training program 
• Analyze the various employee skill gaps 
• Identify what impact the skill gaps will have on your shop 

By doing these things consistently, you: 

• Will improve the shop culture and morale 
• Should be able to supervise less and not be the “go-to person,” which reduces overall shop efficiency 
• Will help the staff increase their potential goals for horizontal promotion 
• Will increase shop productivity 

This in turn will also increase the shop’s chances for innovation and keep you ahead of the game. Why would your employees want to leave you?  

Well, what about an employee who has hit a plateau? No problem; by altering your training program you can keep the same employee interested in his or her position and keep productivity up.  

In the end we need to develop and keep our employees trained, efficient and motivated to come to work every day. Don’t fall into the habit of training an employee after the fact. Build the team you want with what you have, but proper on-boarding and training are the keys to any business’s ultimate success or failure. 

Test your existing people 

If you are not sure if you need a training program, or if you are not sure how effective your program is, have your staff take the test to see how they feel about your shop and where your problems might be. It is an eye-opening experience to see what your people really think. Also included is an On-Boarding Checklist that you can use for all new hires, regardless of position. It’s a great tool to help you kick-start your own Training Checklist. Simply go to www.ationlinetraining.com/2018-02 for a limited time and download everything you need to hold on to your people longer!